Palestinian Security Services Launch Arrest Campaign against Hamas Member in the West Bank

The
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is deeply concerned over a
wide-scale arrest campaign launched by security services in the West Bank in
the last few days against a number of Hamas members. PCHR calls upon the national unity government
in Ramallah to take clear measures that completely compel the law enforcement
authorities to fully comply with the law and completely stop arrests on
political grounds.

According
to investigations conducted by PCHR, on Thursday evening, 02 July 2015, and
Friday morning, 03 July 2015, the Palestinian General Intelligence Service and
Preventive Security Service launched an
arrest campaign throughout the West Bank against 148 Hamas members. Of those arrested persons were Khaldon
al-Mathloum, a journalist from Nablus; ‘Abdullah Yasin from Tulkarm; and Fadel
Yousif Khalil Mousam Director of Yata Charitable Society in Hebron. According to Investigations conducted by
PCHR, most of the detainees were arrested without legal arrest warrants, and the
security services confiscated computers from their houses as well. It should be noted that this campaign is the
second of its kind conducted by the Palestinian security services against Hamas
members this year as they launched a similar campaign against 32 Hamas members
on 08 March 2015.

1.Calls
upon the national unity government in Ramallah to fully adhere to the law and
completely stop arrests on political grounds;

2.Reminds
of the Palestinian High Court of Justice ruling on 20 February 1999, which
considers political arrests illegal, and all executive bodies must respect the
court ruling and abstain from carrying out illegal political arrests; and

3.Calls
upon Palestinian security services to fully comply with the constitution and
other relevant laws and to respect human rights.